Renewed
by Eliptical
Summary: Katniss and Peeta's lives after Mockingjay, raising their children. Some humor, mostly romance/fluff with Katniss and Peeta.
1. Prologue

** This story is the sequel to "Yes, you're sick" ****but it also stands alone****, to those of you newcomers. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I get some reviews. **

**_Disclaimer_: The Hunger Games trilogy belongs to its rightful owners. I own nothing; no money is made off of this story; it's purely a work of fan-fiction.**

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_Peeta POV_

She told me. She told me. She told me. Katniss told me probably the biggest news I'd ever heard in my entire life.

Katniss is pregnant. For real, this time.

It had to have been at least three minutes that I stood there, staring at her in complete shock as my brain tried to process that information. Well, not _complete _shock; there's also immense happiness and joy there, too. I'm guessing that this is how she felt when I said that I loved her on national television all those years ago, but minus the happiness. So just shock on her part, then.

"Peeta?" She asks in concern, waving her delicate, yet scarred hand in front of my eyes. Her own metallic grey orbs reflect concern and worry, the slight pink around them overruled by sharp angles. I shake my head to clear my stupor and grin at her like an idiot. Katniss sighs in relief before looking at me curiously. "You sure you're okay?" she asks, taking my hands in hers and squeezing.

I nod, still grinning. "Yes! I can't believe it! You're completely sure?" I know Katniss would never trick me like this, but you never know; maybe I heard wrong. I look into her now-scowling (but still worrying) eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. I thought you were having an episode." she says the last part in more worry. Before she or I can elaborate on her comment, I pull her into a tight hug.

"I can't believe it!" I whisper into her hair. I can feel her shrug against my chest, and I pull back to hold her at arm's length to study her face. "You're not happy?" I ask her in disbelief. My heart shatters in understanding when tears fill her eyes and she crashes against me again. Katniss never wanted children - Only considered it when I asked her. But now in the real thing, she's doubting herself again.

"Shhh, Sweetheart," I console her as she cries softly; she hardly ever sobs anymore. Mostly it's silent tears or whimpers, especially at night when she's having nightmares. "Everything's going to be great. You're going to be so happy." I repeat this over and over to her, all the while exploding with joy on the inside.

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**What'd you think? Review for more, (YES, I have next chapter already written!)**


	2. Renewed

**Thank you all you reviewers/followers/favorite-rs! This is just an in-between chapter, the next one is longer. Because honestly, who can predict a pregnant Katniss?**

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collin's ****_Hunger Games _****trilogy is too awesome for me to own. So I don't. **

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She was frustrated. They all were; her friends and family, I mean. But really, she was more frustrated with herself more than anyone. She wasn't this frustrated in a long time. No wait, make that _she had never been this frustrated ever!_ Not during her two games, or the rebellion, or when she lost the love of her life.

Who knew being pregnant could make you so frustrated?

She wasn't allowed to go anywhere. Not into town, or Delly's house, and especially not the woods. She was stuck at home. And not to mention tired. And achy.

She sighed and frowned at her huge round stomach. Peeta chuckled at her antics, earning a famous scowl. "What?" he asked innocently, brushing a few locks of dark hair out of his wife's eyes. She sighed, her own eyes still narrowed into a glare.

"You did this." she stated, shaking her head in disgust. Peeta looked shocked. "What! You agreed to it!" he insisted, searching his lover's face - which rested in his lap.

She shook her head again. "But _you _persisted on it," she muttered, knowing the fight was already lost - as it often was with her silver-tongued husband. He sighed and massaged her temples with gentle fingers, knowing she often got headaches nowadays.

Changing the subject, Peeta asked her, "What should we name 'im?" He didn't like referring to the baby as an "it," but also tried not to say "him" or "her" and tried to be neutral about it.

His wife shrugged. "I'm sure we'll know when the time comes." She said, making a face as she remembered the ridiculous names the Capitol often came up with on television. Who knew how they found out that their famous Mockingjay was pregnant, since no one that Katniss nor Peeta could think of would spill that district secret. Though, they _would _try to keep their child away from the nags of being famous and therefor stalked by Capitolites.

Naming their child was an ongoing conversation, since neither of them could really think of something fitting enough. And naming it after a deceased friend or sibling (In Katniss's case) didn't seem like the right thing to do either.

Peeta nodded his head in agreement. "And by then we'll also know the gender." The Capitol (and the new hospital in 12) offered to spill the baby's gender, but the Star-Crossed-lovers didn't wish to know. It was an old-fashioned District Twelve tradition, you could say, but also the fact that the district didn't actually _have _any hospital, you could also say it was also a regular/mandatory thing.

"Peeta, could I have a muffin?" Katniss asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes. Peeta smiled at her, knowing she was asking nicely because she had already asked for three different types of pastries in the past hour - all which had gone to waste with her bipolar tastebuds. "You're sure this time?" he asked jokingly, earning another scowl.

"Fine, fine!" he said, chuckling as he replaced his lap with a pillow under her head as he left to go start on the batter. "I'll bet Thyme and his family will enjoy these," he muttered as he left, since he always donated uneaten bakery goods to families in need. "What was that?" Katniss called from her place on the couch, a deadly edge to her voice.

Peeta blushed. "Err, nothing!" he called back. Curse her huntress hearing!

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**What should the baby's name be? Review with your opinions or vote on the poll on my profile. PS, if it's flu season where you live, I suggest a flu shot. My mom's friend had to be hospitalized because he caught pneumonia. :(**

**Next chapter will be up today, if more reviews are left, and thanks for reading! **


	3. Willow

**Thanks for all the reviews! The nicest people are the ones who review, in my opinion. I've re-read chapters of "Yes, You're Sick," and I realized Katniss and Peeta are very OOC. So this story I'll try to keep them in-character. But anyway, Enjoy the chapter!**

**PS. Thanks _PeetaLover1116_ for your input!**

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- _Fast-forward so baby is three months old - _

"Katniss? Are you alright?" I ask my wife, since both her eyelids and her head droop tiredly. Her eyes shoot open and she looks up at me, the dark circles under her eyes even more pronounced in the moonlight. Even though she and I are exhausted, clad in very wrinkly-clothes, tangle-haired, and frustrated, neither of us could be happier.

And I'll bet most of that happiness has to do with the beautiful daughter Katniss holds wrapped in a fleece blanket - made by Annie - in her arms. Katniss grins broadly and holds the bundle closer to herself. "Couldn't be better," she murmurs quietly. I've never seen her so happy or tranquil until now. I smile and reach an arm over her, pulling the both of them closer.

"She's asleep," I say, brushing my daughter's tiny, baby-thin locks of dark brown hair off of her forehead, in contrast to her rosy cheeks, barely visible in the darkness. Katniss nods in agreement, sighing in relief. "finally." she mutters jokingly. We both know that Katniss adores her daughter more than anyone, with me second and Haymitch a close third when it comes to loving her. He watches her with a grandfatherly awe and joy, the sarcastic comments long gone when he first saw her. Of course, he was back to stating those comments the second she was in her crib, fast asleep.

"Should I put her to bed?" I ask Katniss, combing a strand of hair behind her ear. She nods gratefully, although then reluctantly hands over the child, whom we named Willow. It's a beautiful name that Katniss says reminds her of Rue, in the way of the song she sang to her in our first Games.

Usually, if neither of us can sleep - which is often,- she rests in here, but I think we both need a break. I pick her up, being careful to not make any sudden movements or she'll shoot straight awake. Not that she'll be screaming or anything, but it really is rare to see her dead-asleep. Mostly she lightly naps, and occasionally when she actually sleeps through the night, it's a light slumber.

Her pale eyelids, lined with thick dark lashes stay closed as I walk across the hall to one of the smaller rooms; her bedroom. Inside, Effie went a little berserk with the decorating, with most things in the room a neutral, warm, yellow color that reminds me of candlelight, and despite being the main person in charge of decor, Effie hasn't once seen Willow. I set her down in her crib, tucking another blanket around her before softly kissing her head and leaving, whispering a goodnight to my daughter.

"She's still asleep?" Katniss asks quietly. I nod, outstretching my arms. Katniss smiles and climbs off the bed, walking straight into them. "You're happy, real or not real?" I mumble against her hair. Katniss pulls back a moment to peck me lightly on the lips. "Very real" she answers dreamily. I smile at her.

"I'm going to take a shower, okay?" she asks a moment later, easily slipping out of my arms. I chuckle again at her huntress-like antics and pad back over to the bed, where the sheets and blankets lie in a heap at the foot of the mattress, and begin to re-make the bed.

When I finish, the new kitten I convinced Katniss we needed after Buttercup passed away hops onto Katniss's pillow, his black head arching to reach my hand. I stroke the kitten, remembering the scrawny feline that Katniss despised. She doesn't really pay attention to this one, which I guess is better than hating him. But I think having a cat around reminds her of her sister, so maybe that's good. _  
_

"You're a good boy," I mumble to the now-purring cat, "Katniss loves you, she just doesn't know it yet."

"Peeta? Is that you?" I turn to the ray of light streaming out of the bathroom, where Katniss stands with loose, long hair and wrapped in a towel. "Who are you talking to?" she asks curiously, walking over to sit next to me. I chuckle nervously. "Err, the cat." I admit, scratching him between the ears. Katniss smirks.

"Nice." She mutters, leaning over to kiss me with minty breath. She brushes my hair out of my eyes, her fingers smooth as satin against my skin. "Go shower now," she says, "and we can finally sleep." she states the last part with a yawn, proving her point. "Gotcha," I answer her, standing up. The mattress lifts from the lack of my weight, and I leave Katniss on the bed to bathe.

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When I return, I can't help laughing. My wife, the apparent cat-hater, is fast asleep on the comforter that stays on top of the bed with one arm around our pet, who also is sleeping. Still smiling, I dress in fresh pajamas and lay down behind her, pulling her sleeping form towards me. I hear a meow in protest from stealing over the cat's warmth.

Less than a minute later, I fall asleep too.

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"Peeta?" I open my eyes to my name, and also the warm hand nudging my shoulder. I blink, trying to get some of the sleepiness out of my system. I roll over onto my back and brush the long strands of soft hair that fall from someone leaning over me off my face. I look up to see Katniss, the bruise-like shadows under her eyes almost completely gone, and another smile on her face. My eyes travel down to her arms, where she carries our daughter whilst feeding her.

"Morning," I greet her, shivering slightly in the cool breeze that lays across my skin. Katniss laughs. "Sleep well with no blankets?" she asks sarcastically, glancing over to where the rest of the bed stays made. I shrug. "You started it" I point out, smiling at her when she scowls. Same old Katniss, even after all these years.

I sit up and pat the spot next to me, motioning for her to join me. Katniss comes over and curls up against me, smiling at her (_our_) daughter whenever she makes faint whimpering sounds while she drinks. Her eyes are open now, and the vibrant blue orbs widen with determination to feed.

"She's so beautiful," I state quietly. I say this so much that Katniss usually mouths it, knowing when I'm about to say my famous phrase, and this time is no exception. She laughs when she spies me scowling at her. "It's true." I mutter grudgingly, making her laugh more. We both watch her as she drinks and glances around, her eyes flickering from my face to Katniss's and back. Then there's a loud knock on the door from downstairs, and after a moment, I stand to answer it. "Be right back," I murmur to Katniss, kissing the top of her head. Katniss nods slightly, still consumed by the attention of our daughter.

Downstairs, I open the door to see the one and only Haymitch Abernathy, scratching the back of his head and muttering something to a giddy Effie. I smile warmly at them. "Peeta!" Effie says in pure joy, "Congratulations!" she gushes, her eyes and face lit up like the Capitol streets at night. "Thanks," I say sincerely, sidestepping the doorway so they can both come in.

I shut the door behind them, still smiling to myself when I see Haymitch's slightly pouting look. Who knew he could pout? _  
_

"What's the matter, Haymitch? Effie bugging you already?" I tease, earning a glare from my mentor. "No." he states surely, though glances irritably at said escort.

"You're here to see Willow, right?" I ask Effie, who smiles and nods eagerly. "Great," I say, "She just woke up." I guide them upstairs to our room, all of us pausing slightly when we see Katniss giggling with the almost-newborn. I knock lightly on the door, and Katniss calls a "come in!" while she sets down the giggling Willow on a soft towel in front of her. Effie gasps as she walks in, her eyes and mouth widening to form a comical O. Haymitch easily walks in behind her to smile down warmly at the baby.

Effie then walks over to see her more clearly, warmth spreading across her features as she takes in the scene before her; a smiling Katniss holding _the _most beautiful baby in the world, with rosy cheeks and bright, curious blue eyes framed with thick lashes and fine strands of thin dark hairs on her head.

She smiles and perches in a very lady-like manor on the edge of the mattress, reaching out with a colorfully painted hand to stroke Willow's cheek. She smiles at Effie, her tiny dimples becoming more distinct, rose-colored lips parting in delight. Effie coos to her, and smile, thinking of all the people that love my daughter.

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**Yay, finally finished at 12:30 am, which explains the bad ending to this chapter. Please review, and thank you _chocolate-chip-cookie-monster_ for being my first reviewer in Chapter 1! Have a great day and next chapter should be up as soon as I get reviews. They inspire me. **


	4. First Words

**So so so so sorry for not updating, guys! My excuse is that I've been obsessed with drawing and have no time to write. (PS, Who else likes "Of Monsters and Men"? Their music is awesome! My favorite song is _Love Love Love_)**

**Disclaimer: The Hunger Games trilogy and all characters used in this story belong to their rightful owners. Hence, not me.**

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"Mah-ma?" My eyes shot open when I heard the soft, sweet voice that didn't belong to neither Katniss or me. Katniss heard it too, and her eyes widened in the darkness. Although it was already one in the morning, neither of us had even thought of sleep.

I propped myself up on one elbow and squinted in the darkness at my daughter, who lay sleeping soundly in Katniss's arms. I looked back up at my wife. "Was that...?"

"Mama." When I heard it again, I knew I wasn't mistaken. Willow. Said. Her. First. Word. Twice.

A huge grin spread across my face as I looked at the tiny child in Katniss's arms. She took after her mother in size; that much you could already tell even now. Katniss seemed to be in shock, and looked down at her daughter with her mouth agape. "She just said... In her sleep..."

Without even thinking, I reached over and hugged them both tight against me. I kissed Katniss on the mouth over and over, easily waking up the lightest sleeper in the house. She yawned and blinked a few times, babbling again like the toddler she was. "Willow!" I greeted her, the stupid smile still plastered on my face. I hugged her to me.

She patted my face, her tiny hand felt hot against my cheek. Katniss fell back against the pillows. "Wow. Her first words while she's dreaming. Is that possible?"

I chuckled, setting down the child, and pet her forehead. "Apparently." I said, rolling onto my side. Willow was nodding off again, and I hummed, trying to get her to sleep. Then it was Katniss's turn to laugh; I should really stick to painting. Singing isn't my thing.

When she was out cold, Katniss curled up in my arms, and I smiled, remembering all the times we were in this situation; but only then we didn't have a beautiful baby with us.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Mellark" I whispered. Katniss Huh-rumfed. She still didn't like it when I called her that. But then she surprised me when she answered after a moment, "goodnight, daddy." Because although it seemed like everyone called me that lately, Katniss never had. I tightened my arms around her, and sank my head so my forehead was against her's.

_One week later...~~_

"Come on, Willow, who am I?" I'd been trying to encourage her to speak again, but her lips stayed shut. She stared back at me blankly.

Katniss laughed from where she sat on the porch skinning a squirrel. "Who am I?" She called over to us from where I had Willow sitting across from me near the primroses. It was late morning, and since last night Willow had been staying completely quiet. Well, unless she's saying her only word.

"Mah-ma!" Willow cheered, a delighted smile on her face. I scowled at the child. "And who am I?" I repeated, pointing to myself. Willow giggled and dropped the flower she had been playing with. "Mama!" she responded. I dropped my head in defeat.

Katniss laughed as she moved on to plucking the feathers from a wild turkey. "We're all mommies here, aren't we?" She asked mockingly. I rolled my eyes at her. "You'll see, when she gets older and you're out hunting all the time, she's going to come to _me _for advice."

Katniss smirked. "_Right, right._" She muttered, sticking all her dead animal skins and feathers into a bag before picking the bag up and going inside. I scowled at the closed door for a moment longer before turning back to the child before me. "Say, _Daddy, _Willow." I tried to encourage her, but she just gave me that blank look again.

"She's not going to!" I disregarded Katniss's mocking call from the kitchen window as nothing. Willow yawned. I sighed and scooped her up, brushing the long locks of thick, mahogany hair out of her eyes. It was my idea to keep her hair as long as possible; it reminded me of Katniss.

"Done already?" Katniss called from the living room. She sat upside-down with her head hanging over the edge of the seat, and her legs rested vertically on the headboard **(I don't know what to call it...) **while she watched TV.

"No, she just needs her nap." I called back as I carried her up the stairs. The TV channels clicked rapidly.

_Downstairs...~~_

I set her down in her crib, and with her eyes closed and her hair loose, she looked exactly what I imagined Katniss looked like when she was Willow's age. I smiled to myself as I kissed her forehead and left the room, hearing her already-even breathing.

"She asleep?" Katniss called from the living room as she turned down the volume on the set so it was only a mere whisper.

"Yep." I answered her as I sat down next to her, taking her legs in my lap. She shifted over so that her head laid on the pillows. "What are you watching?" I asked her, since it was as if she couldn't decide which channel to stop on.

Katniss sighed and tossed the remote to the floor, where it clicked the television off. "Nothing. I'm bored." She said, playing with the buttons on her shirt. I reached over and pulled her up so she was curled up in my lap; how I often held Willow. Katniss buried her face into the crook of my arm.

"Want to go into town?" I asked her, dying to leave the house. Katniss looked up at me with that sarcastic expression.

"What?" I asked innocently. Really, why couldn't we go?

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, last time I checked you can't leave a baby alone at home."

"Oh."

A few moments passed while I thought about it.

"What if we got Delly to babysit?" I asked finally.

"She's visiting District 13, remember?"

"Oh."

Katniss laughed at my disappointment. "Tomorrow." She said, patting my heart affectionately. I grinned at her and kissed her forehead. "And what if I don't feel like going tomorrow?" I asked her, cocking my head to the side. Katniss rolled her eyes. "Trust me, you're going to want to go tomorrow." She said.

"You're so stubborn that you're going to make me go, right?" I asked her. Katniss grinned devilishly. "Of course."

I kissed her slowly. "Got it. I'm going to paint, okay? I'll be in the attic."

Katniss nodded, already flipping herself back upside-down on the couch again. In the attic, I walked over to my newest creation - a portrait of Willow with a large sunhat on. I'd only finished the base skin tone, and just that had taken me most of yesterday afternoon. She has the most peculiar skin, almost olive, but with a paler undertone.

...

I'd just finished painting in the last detail of her hair when Katniss walked in, beaming, carrying Willow balanced on one hip. I don't know why she kept repeating that she would be a horrible mother; she's the best mother in all of Panem, in my opinion.

She walked right up to me, and I noticed that Willow was still in her nightclothes. She blinked and yawned sleepily as she looked at her mother.

"Okay, Willow, say it again. Who's this person who bakes the cakes and loves you very much?"

Willow's deep blue eyes brightened. "Daddy!" she cheered. Katniss, still grinning, turned to me. "You like?" she asked, handing me my daughter. "Willow, you're amazing." I said with as much pride as a father could ever have. She giggled.

"And I _do _love you very much." I said with so much seriousness that her eyes widened with interest. "Daddy." She answered.

"And I love you both." Katniss said, wrapping her arms around my waist and squishing the three of us together.

_Life is good._

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**As always, review please! **


	5. Walk

**I got the most wonderful review the other day, thank you Shanaynay dawson ^^ Sorry for not updating in a while, school started again and I haven't slept in days (insomnia) and plus there's this other thing called... *gasp* writer's block.**

**It took me almost a week to do this chapter, hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: ****_The Hunger Games _****belongs to its rightful owners; I own nothing and no money is being made. **

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-_Learning to Walk-_

"Come on, Willow!" She looks at her feet with the most defeated expression on her baby-round face. We've been at this for at least a half an hour, and surprisingly she hasn't become too tired or distracted to turn away from the task at hand. She looks back up at me from where she sits on the grass seven feet away, her rose-petal lips scrunched up in displeasure. "Buh Daddy," she whines, patting the grass at her toes, "I tired."

I smile at the way she speaks, as I always have since she said her first words. And that was three months ago. I sigh in defeat and walk over to her, scooping her up in my arms and kissing the top of her head. "You're doing so good, Sweetheart," I croon to her, "please, can you walk for Daddy? We can go to the bakery later, too." I hate to bribe her, but she loves the bakery so much it's bound to work.

And I'm right. I set her down and take six steps back, my arms outstretched for her. Willow's eyes light up and her eyebrows form a tiny crease as she leans over in her bear-crawl position, and slowly, she stands up. With her hands clenched into tiny fists, she takes her first step. And it's not like it's her_ first _first step, but she rarely gets up on her own. But she does like to crawl into anywhere she can find, especially if she's never been there before.

She toddles over to me, only falling once on the soft grass below her socked feet. When she falls into my arms, and she gives me her award-winning smile of triumph, I grin along with her. "You did it!" I cheer, hugging her close to my chest, "Willow! You walked!"

She rolls her big blue eyes. "Buh Dada, I walk-ted before." she says with her adorable lisp. She gets that sarcasm from Katniss, obviously. "Right. Sorry." I mutter apologetically. Apparently, to everyone else, I tend to get a bit too excited about everything Willow does. Katniss teases me all the time about it.

"Cah we go now?" Willow asks excitedly. I smile down at her.

"`Kay, let me just leave a note for Mommy." I tell her, walking over to the house and carrying her in my arms. I set her down on the carpet and pull out a pen and paper while she plays with some wooden spoons I left for her.

_Katniss,_

_Willow and I are at the Bakery. We'll be back before dinner, don't worry. _

_Love you always, _

_Peeta_

I smile to myself, thinking of the way Katniss basically freaks out when she doesn't know where Willow is, ready to shoot anyone who confesses to hurting her daughter.

"Dada, cah we go now?" Willow's pleading voice breaks me out of my stupor, and I smile down at the frustrated baby, now in my arms. "Okay, we're going, we're going." I chuckle to her, grabbing her coat on the way out the door.

.

She's asleep by the time I close up the bakery; her hand curled up into a fist against her cheek. As I'm walking home with her, I get the usual stares and compliments from people in the District, especially if I know them. Surprisingly, Willow never wakes up when people croon and praise her.

By the time we make it home, the sun's almost behind the horizon, and inside the house the lights are on and the cat is outside on the doorstep, looking very annoyed. Darn Katniss will never be an animal lover.

"C'mon in." I said softly to the kitten while trying also not to wake Willow. The cat meows once before plodding inside, then disappears to do cat things, I suppose.

Upstairs, I tuck my daughter into bed, even though she hasn't had dinner yet. Unless you count pastries and cakes dinner, that is.

"Peeta? Are you home? Is Willow with you?"

"Up here, and she's asleep." I call back once I'm at the top of the stairs. Katniss pauses as she walks by, clad in an oversized t-shirt and torn up sweat shorts. If any of her prep team saw her in that, they would kill her. I chuckled as I eye her.

Katniss scowls at me, glancing down at her shirt in case she had a stain or something. Of course she didn't.

"What is it?" she asks finally, and I plodded down the stairs and draped my arms around her shoulders so that our foreheads were touching. "Nothing." I say, breathing in her woodsy scent. "You're just really pretty" I add. I don't remember just directly telling her that over the years we've known each other, since Katniss doesn't take compliments all that well.

Katniss rolls her eyes. "With the unwashed hair and scars? Gee thanks, Peeta."

"You know what I mean." I mutter into her hair.

Changing the subject, Katniss said, "Want dinner? I made soup all by myself!" She pulled back and smiled teasingly.

I pretended to be shocked and gasped. "No. Way. Katniss Everdeen made _soup?_"

Already irritated, her eyes narrowed "That's Katniss _Mellark _to you."

"Oh right. I forgot."

She shakes her head in mock-disgust and slips out of my grasp, walking to the kitchen in an all-too taunting way.

"Do you want some though?" she finally asked once in the kitchen and leaving me standing there, dumbstruck.

"Fine." I answer, slipping off my shoes (it's harder to do on the prosthetic) and leaving them on the base of the stairs. I followed her into the kitchen, where the aroma of cooking meat and broth greeted me. Katniss half-smiled. "You like?" she asks, gesturing to the pot on the range.

.

"This is actually good," I say in mock-surprise, serving myself more of her stew. Katniss glares at me from across the table, the steam from her bowl partially covering her face.

"You're welcome." She mumbles.

.

"Willow won't be hungry?" Katniss asks once the dishes are done and the leftovers are put away. I smile and shrug. "Oh sure, you ask that _after _we finish eating and the rest of it's in the refrigerator?"

"...Peeta."

I laugh at the menacing tone of her voice. "She practically ate the entire cupcake batch I made. I'm sure she's fine." I assure her, walking around the counter to hold her to me. It's as if I can never get enough of her - as it's always been. "Can we go to sleep now?" she asks, then, as if on cue, yawns.

"Sure."

.

"`Night." I murmur, trailing my fingers along the bare skin of her arm. She mumbles something incoherent and buries her slender frame deeper under the covers. Outside, crickets chirp in the distance and a cool breeze blows through the half-open window. Although I'm almost asleep, I easily catch the sound of shuffling and tiny footsteps on the ground. A few minutes later, there's a tug on the blankets that hang over the bed.

"Daddy?" a tiny voice asks timidly.

How she even got out of her crib, I don't know. But instead of asking questions, I roll over - careful not to disturb Katniss - and hold out my arms for my daughter.

"What's wrong?" I ask her quietly once she's on the bed. Willow sniffles and wipes her eyes with the back of her fist. "I hah a nightmare" She mumbles, already trying to crawl between Katniss and me under the pillows.

"Well that's what happens when you eat sugar before bed" I tell her gently. Willow's already up to her chin with blankets, and her eyelids droop. "Sowwy." she murmurs, trying to wrap her arms around my torso.

"It's okay. Go to sleep now." I say, and begin to hum. But like I said, Katniss is the singer. Willow giggles at my attempted effort.

"Goodnight Daddy." She sighs as her eyelids droop.

"`Night. Love you."

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**Okay, this is really random, but last night (at 2 am, no less) I had this weird dream that I was getting married.. but the groom kept changing. First it was Ron from Kim Possible, then it was Edward Cullen, then it was Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon. Then it was my uncle. Note to self: Don't eat cereal before bed. **

**Anyone else have weird dreams? Mine are always random, but anyone else remember theirs?**


	6. Quick

**I forgot to mention last chapter, I also got a wonderful review from Kayla Mellark 22. And I'll keep the rest of everyone else's ideas in mind. :) PS. I made a comic for the last chapter, the link's on my profile. (I was making it as I wrote this chapter, but got a little sidetracked and got on the laptop. That seems to happen a lot...)**

This chapter's a quickie, and I know K/P have two kids, that's also coming soon ^u^

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Willow ran over to me, a bright smile on her beautiful face and the cordless phone in her hand. I smiled at her as she raced over, my hands were full of flour as I kneaded the dough for the banana bread she had requested that I make for her.

"Daddy!" She said in a hushed whisper, one palm over the mouthpiece. "It's for you." She handed over the phone and watched the food on the counter with interest after she gave it to me.

"Hello?" I answered, holding Willow's hand so she wasn't tempted to eat the raw dough - how can she even think it's tasty?

"Hey, it's Gale."

My face when blank, and Willow looked up at me curiously. I knew Katniss didn't keep in touch with Gale a lot, and she certainly never told Willow about him.

"Oh. Hi, Gale. How're things?"

"Pretty good. How are you guys doing? Haven't seen you all in forever."

"We're fine. So what brings you to call?"

"Oh, right. So District Two said they want me in Twelve for a meeting with the Mayor - it's okay if I visit?"

"That's great! When are you coming?"

"The twenty-sixth."

"Great. See you then. I'll tell Katniss."

"Cool. Nice talking to you -" he muttered a curse, and in the background I heard a crash, "-Sorry Mellark, got to go."

"G'bye."

I pressed the 'end' button and handed it back to Willow. She cocked her head to the side. "Who was dat?" She asked as she toyed with the phone in her tiny hands.

"Oh, one of Mommy's friends." I assured her, but in her three-year old curiosity, she continued. "What friend? Miss Delly?"

"One of her _old _friends that you've never met"

"Oh."

Willow lost interest and walked away, only to start chasing the cat, who somehow - since Willow feeds him _everything - _managed to stay thin. I chuckled, remembering the one time she started crying because she scared the poor thing up a tree with her violence. I went back to kneading.

.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Willow's Katniss-radar kicked in, and she ran to the door where she attempted to open it. But like always, she could never quite turn the knob.

"Willow!" Katniss cheered, side-stepping the child and closing the door behind her. "How was your day?" She asked, picking up her daughter. Willow giggled and played with Katniss's braid. "Goood. Daddy made breakfast and I answered the phone _all by myself._"

Katniss gasped. "You _did? _Who called?" She asked half-heartedly. She carried Willow over to the kitchen table and sat her in her lap, brushing the strands of hair off her face.

Willow made a face as she concentrated. "Daddy said it was some'on named Gale and 's your friend. Is she pretty?"

Katniss's polite smile dropped from her face and she looked over at me. "_Gale _called?" She asked quietly. I nodded.

"What'd he say?" she asked, setting Willow down.

"That he's coming to Twelve again." I answered, feeling slightly guilty for agreeing to him.

"Oh boy." she sighed in exasperation.

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**Look at the comic! I think it came out pretty good :DD **

**Review pleeease! (Willow would want you to -._.-)**


	7. Arrival

**SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING - I WAS TRYING TO MAKE THIS CHAPTER LONGER. CLEARLY THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT. **

**I can't accept the concept that Katniss and Peeta _age,_ (I'm such a kid XP) so pretend it hasn't been fifteen years. (Please. pretend.) They're like, twenty eight or something. **

_**PS, The names used in this chapter are completely made by me, (see: Yes, you're sick, chapter 10)**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Gale's family's names.**

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"...Under the will-oooww..." her voice was off-tune and too high-pitched, but to me, at least, it was still charming. She skipped along the gravel trail, her thin little legs bouncing in all directions as she moved. I glanced to my left - Katniss's face was hard and blank, the same expression she used to wear before the Games.

If her expression was from Willow singing the song, or the fact that we were going to see Gale, I have no idea.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, reaching over to hold her hand. She looked up at me and nodded once, but her eyes quickly averted from mine. She'd been like this for days, not talking very much and acting distant.

I stopped her and held her shoulders in my hands. "Willow, hold on!" I called to my daughter as she began to run away. She turned back after a moment and began walking towards me again. I then turned back to Katniss. "What's wrong?" I asked her, trying to find the answer on her face. It was not there.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Katniss."

"I...I'll tell you when he leaves."

That was the best I could get from her, since then she turned away and reached for Willow's hand. She giggled up at Katniss and pulled her along, saying things like "come on, Mommy!" "We have to see the pretty Miss Gale!" or "I wanna meet Clane!"

And Katniss would easily go along with her, being pulled by the two-year old farther and farther away from me on the trail to the train station. Willow laughed and sang the entire time.

.

"Mommy..."

The pleading and whining voice said the same phrase for the third time in the past ten minutes. Willow sat in Katniss's lap, her rose petal lip sticking out as she pouted. "When're they gonna get here?" She asked again, leaning her head on my shoulder from where she still sat in her mother's lap.

Katniss shrugged. "I dunno. They said one-thirty, and it's almost two. Must be a late train."

Since Willow had no conception of time, she just stared back blankly. Katniss smiled at her - the first one I'd seen in days. "They'll be here soon." she reassured her. Willow sighed in exasperation and nodded.

"But Mommy - I tired."

"Yeah, that makes two of us."

I chuckled at the completely confused look Willow had - When I spoke to her, I would always just agree to whatever she said, unlike Katniss with her almost-Haymitch-like comments.

Suddenly a voice came on over the loudspeaker. "_Train two-zero-seven has arrived._"

Katniss grimaced when she heard that, knowing obviously that the train was the Hawthorne's. I stood up from the bench we were seated on and offered my hand to Katniss. "Ready?" I asked her.

"No." she answered in a mutter, but stood up anyways. We followed Willow to where people were getting off the train in a flurry of coats and hats. A few stopped in their tracks to observe the toddler squeezing through legs to find our guests, while others ignored her all together.

Pretty soon Willow stopped near a random exiting post and grinned proudly, her chin held up and all. I glanced up to the sign that indicated where the train had come from, and seeing that it had boarded in District Nine, beckoned for Willow to follow me back to the 'Two' regions.

She happily followed me, grinning excitedly at Katniss as she goes.

.

"Oh, Gale there they - Katniss!" a quietly assertive voice catches my attention, and I turn, seeing a woman, probably about a year or so younger than Katniss and me. Her blond curls and sweet face remind me of Madge, but her green eyes mark her as different. She's holding the hand of a boy who must be her son, with dark mahogany curls and her green eyes. Ah, so this must be Adaile and Clane.

Katniss heard her outburst too, and silently glanced up at me, a slightly forced smile on her face. "Well," I said, beckoning for her to move forward. She shot me one of her signature scowls, sharp as her arrows, before silently complying and walking to meet them.

Adaile smiles at us as we approach, and out of the corner of my eye I see Gale turning to his wife. He has a bit of stubble on his jaw, and he cut his hair shorter, but other than that he looks relatively the same. A wide grin spreads over his face when he sees us - namely Katniss.

Willow looks up and sees my warm smile and Katniss's grimace that's supposed to be a smile, and knows we found them.

She smiles and skips ahead to greet the family, pulling the both of us along by the hands.

Adaile smiles when we reach them and holds her arms up to embrace Katniss, then me. "It's so nice to meet you both" she said, smiling like she was happier than anything just to be in our presence. Gale dropped his arm over her shoulder affectionately, and smiled again.

.

"How old're you?" Their son, Clane, stuck his bottom lip out slightly as he contemplated Willow. They sat on one of the couches in the living room, a bowl of crackers between them as to keep them entertained while we talked.

Willow narrowed her eyes at him. "Almost three. Real close." she said, emphasizing the last part. She liked to talk, hence her way of speech.

Clane smiled proudly. "I'm nine." he said, jabbing a skinny finger to his chest. Willow stuck her tongue out at him defensively.

Gale chuckled. "Ah, and who does that remind me of?" he asked, looking over at his ex-hunting partner pointedly, his answer a glare identical to Willow's.

He smiled wider. "What? It's true."

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**Ending bad. Poo. Next chapter up soon - i hope...**


	8. Cinn-uh?

**Excuse: I'm only 13, and I have NJHS and school. Meh. So sorry guys! I completely forgot about this story, even though it's supposed to be my main one. :/ Anywhale, I present to you ... CHAPTER 8 (if you count the prologue as a chapter...) **

**Oh, and Kayla Mellark 22, I used one of your ideas in this chapter :D**

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We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and talking, watching Willow and Clane run around near the meadow. Katniss seemed to have lightened up a bit, she cracked a smile every now and then. Gale, on the other hand, seemed to get jittery and impatient by the way he kept biting his lip and glancing at his watch.

I thought about asking him about it, but whenever my chance for the topic came up Adaile would quickly change the subject without even meaning to. I think.

At three-oh-one on the dot, Gale's tiny silver phone he kept strapped to his belt buzzed. He grinned and stood abruptly, kissed Adaile quickly on the cheek and said, "Be right back!" as he nearly ran out the door.

Katniss and I looked at each other and shrugged.

.

_ding-dong _

I assumed it was Gale who was ringing the bell and left the current conversation of discussing the weather once more to answer it. But Willow beat me to it; her curly dark hair flew out behind her as she raced to the door. I rounded the corner in time to hear her shriek in excitement, and my jaw dropped.

Gale was at the door, alright. Holding a dog. Well, a puppy really. But it was a canine. I think.

The thing was tiny, all white with dark brown spots on its face and back. Its tail wagged eagerly as it squirmed in attempt to get out of Gale's grasp. The thing was well-groomed with soft-looking fur and bright blue eyes. In District Twelve growing up, the only dogs I recall seeing were the mangy wild ones that snuck too close to the fence in search of food.

Gale grinned and set it down to run like a bullet and crash into Willow. It licked her face while making tiny whimpering noises, as if it couldn't bear to ever leave her side. Willow giggled and laughed and tried to push the tiny pink tongue away.

Katniss walked in then, and her jaw dropped like mine did. "You... bought a dog?" She asked finally.

Gale laughed. "Isn't he cute? Apparently there's a whole bunch of kinds of dogs. Ordered this little guy from the Capitol. The train just arrived a little while ago."

Katniss wrinkled her nose. "Why'd you get a dog? We already have an annoying animal around here." She gestured to the cat, who just to happened to be giving himself a bath at the base of the stairs. He looked up when he heard her voice and meowed innocently. When he saw the puppy sitting on Willow's lap, he hissed and ran away.

Gale shrugged. "You said Willow's birthday was coming up - I decided to give her an early present. Besides, he's a hunting dog. Should help you in the woods if you train him right."

Katniss glared at him. "I don't need a dog."

"He's for Willow." Gale quipped. "And if kids are introduced to animals at an early stage, they won't be allergic to them in the future."

"That's not true"

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Momma!" Willow interjected, "I wanna keep him! Pleease?"

Katniss bit her lip and sighed after a moment. "...Fine." she muttered.

We all cheered and the dog barked.

Willow smiled. "I wanna name him Cinn-uh, like in da book."

The cheering stopped, and there was an awkward silence before someone coughed.

I crouched down on my good leg in front of my daughter. "You... sure you don't want to name him Fluffy or Tom or something?" I asked uncertainly. Willow nodded, so sure of herself.

I sighed. "Alright then."

.

"Bye Uncle Gale! Thank you for Cinn-uh!" Willow said, holding the struggling puppy as she waved. Adaile waved back and held the hand of an obviously jealous Clane, who pouted the entire time after Cinn-uh was introduced. (Willow pronounces it as two words).

"Have fun with him! Call us if it doesn't work out!" Gale added. I had to grab Katniss when she tried running to the phone.

Willow continued waving, even when they were long out of sight. I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey Sweetheart, let's put Cinna in the kitchen tonight and get ready for bed."

She nodded and followed me back inside. Katniss shut the door with a loud clank.

.

When Willow was tucked into bed and Cinna was in the kitchen with his pan of water and old pillow serving as a bed, I followed Katniss back into the room. She was already in bed, her hair being a fan of mahogany behind her head as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

I crawled in next to her and brought her head up to lean against my shoulder. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" I asked.

A few minutes later Katniss sighed. "I'm... pregnant again."

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**Ooooh Cliffhanger! Thanks for reading! New chapter up soon :)**


	9. Hallucinations

**Thanks Bliss Mellark for your review :) I wanted to get this chapter up by Valentine's Day, but oh well. **

**Some of you may have noticed that I deleted _Yes, You're Sick._** **If someone wants to read it, PM me please. **

**Disclaimer: I owns nothin'.**

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Willow pursed her lips and scrunched up her eyes.

"Mama, are you fat?"

I burst out laughing; Willow just couldn't grasp the concept of getting a little brother (We found out a few months ago when Katniss got sick) so she asks about every chance she gets whether Katniss is sick or fat or whatever.

Said mother turned to glare at me. Her hands, which were previously busy braiding her hair, paused to pick up Willow and set her on her knee, since her lap was unavailable. She's still been depressed lately and has been taking out her anger on Cinna. But he still adores her, even more than the rest of us. Katniss shoves him aside? Nope, still loves her. Katniss forgets to feed him? Still loves her.

"Willow," she said in her exasperated tone she's always using now, "I'm _not _fat. Preg-nant remember?"

Willow cocked her head to the side. "But uncle Haymitch said -"

Katniss pressed a finger to Willow's mouth, effectively keeping her quiet. "Haymitch was lying."

Willow frowned. "But-"

"Shhhhhh. Lying."

"O...Okay."

By then, I was laughing so hard that both of them looked up at me in alarm.

Katniss set Willow down and walked over to me and rested her head in my lap. "What's my brother gonna be like?"

I smoothed her curls down her shoulders and pulled her so she sat on my knees. "I don't know yet, honey. When he's born we'll find out."

She sighed and leaned back so that she almost fell on her head. "But I've been waiting for a hundred years!" her voice got high-pitched as she whined.

"Um, Willow, you've only known Mommy was having a baby for a few months."

She stuck her lip out and shook her head. "How long did you wait for me?"

"Same amount of time, honey."

Willow ha-rumphed and climbed back off my lap. "Cinnnaaa!" she called, attempting to whistle. Katniss cracked a smile at Willow's failure and leaned back in her chair. Willow raced out of the room, scared the cat, and left out the door.

Silently, I stood up and pulled Katniss to me. "You okay?" I asked. Katniss pressed her forehead to my throat. "It's still so scary." she said and curled her fingers against my chest.

I suddenly understood why she had been so depressed lately. I pulled her closer to me and combed my fingers through her half-braided hair. "Was it this bad with Willow, too?"

She shook her head and smiled a little. "No. With her was much worse."

"Ah,"

I hugged her closer still. "Are you tired?" I asked her while tracing the dark circles under her eyes that have recently seemed permanent. She gave me a look that said, _Are you kidding? _

I smiled and stood up, pulling her up behind me. It was getting more difficult to carry her.

. . .

"Where's Willow?"

I blinked and looked over at Katniss who had apparently just woke up.

"She's with Haymitch, why?"

Katniss shrugged and pulled the sheets up and over her shoulders. "I don't know. I'm tired." I chuckled. "But you just slept for three hours," I reminded her.

She smiled tiredly and leaned towards me. "You haven't kissed me in a while."

"What?"

"We haven't kissed in forever."

Maybe she was having an insomnia-induced dream where she wasn't grumpy all the time, I reasoned with myself.

"_Well?_" she asked impatiently.

I stared at her in surprise. She shook her head in disgust and shoved her face against mine. Oh yes, it was sleep deprivation.

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**Holy mother of Buttercup I am horrible at making long chapters! **

**See you next time! Reviews make writing worthwhile!**


	10. Tears

**I've been getting SO many of your lovely reviews telling me to continue and I thank all of you for being so nice! I'm really not as interested in the fandom much anymore... So I apologize if the chapters are getting more boring. : /**

**PS. anyone want to name their son?**

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Willow sat in a shaft of sunlight, the highlights in her hair shining gently under the setting sun. She wasn't facing me, but I could tell she was reading. The cat slunk behind her, occasionally rubbing his head on her arm, asking for attention but getting none.

Finally I got bored sitting and watching her from across the room and stood up to look over her shoulder. I caught my breath when I saw what she was reading. The Memory book. _Our _Memory book. Where did she find it?

I cleared my throat and Willow jumped, whipping around to stare up at me guiltily. I was surprised she hadn't heard me earlier when I was walking over here - Who could miss the crashing sound I made as I walked?

"Whatcha reading?" I asked her nonchalantly.

Willow glanced back down at the book in her lap and closed it on the page where a drawing of Prim smiling was pictured. She kept her place in the book with her hand and flipped it on its back so I wouldn't see the cover.

"Nothing." she said quickly, standing up and hurrying away.

I watched after her as she scurried up the stairs and went outside to talk to Katniss.

:::

"She was reading _what?_" Katniss's hands froze where she was holding our seven-month old son's hands as she was playing with him. Catching her tone, his silver eyes widened and his rose lips dropped open in an O.

Katniss's expression turned stony and she scooped him up, consoling him when he made a whine, and handed him to me gently. His chubby hands grasped my shirt.

"I'm going to talk to her." Katniss looked as deadly as she was in the arena, her irises turned dark like coal. I reached out to hold her back and reason with her, but my wife just shook off my hand and hurried inside. I looked back down at our son, who was staring up at me with bright, curious eyes.

"Please don't ever get older," I muttered to him. He grinned in response.

:::

I heard a bit of yelling and stomping until Willow came running out, empty-handed, her face twisted in a scowl as she darted across the yard and under the fence leading to the woods. Her brother looked wide-eyed and frightened, so I took him inside, murmuring and cooing to him.

Katniss was sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the page opened to her sister. I quietly (or as quietly as I could), I took him upstairs into his - previously Willow's - crib. Almost immediately he was asleep.

Clambering back down the stairs, I made my way back to her side, and I saw that she was now crying. Silent tears ran down her face to drip onto mingle with the saltwater already on the page.

I wrapped my arms loosely across her shoulders, just in case she would want to push me away again. She didn't.

"P-Peeta, what are we going to do?" she asked wide-eyed, tears welling up once again.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'll think of something." She buried her face into my chest, her thin shoulders shaking as she cried quietly.

"I'll think of something." I repeated.

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**BAH it's short I don't care :I Review please? Oh, and suggestions for their son's name?**


	11. Oh, Haymitch!

**Wow, guys! It's been like, two months since I've updated ^^; Yeah; sorry about that. Anyway, I'm on summer vacation now, so I'll probably update more often. Anyway, I haven't been writing a lot lately, so sorry if I'm not at my best. And guys? I really regret deleting "Yes, you're sick." That was 147 reviews gone and wasted ;A; (if you want to read it go check out the link on my account)  
Wow this is a long author's note. Anyway, onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot :T**

* * *

When my eyelids flutter open, it seems too noisy to be morning. But when I roll over and glance out the window where dawn is just breaking, I begin to get curious. Looking around on the other side of me is Katniss, still asleep and tangled in fleece blankets with her hair sprawled about, like branches of a tree.

Almost as if on cue, she opens her eyes and stretches. "Peeta?" she murmurs and rolls over to me, loosely wrapping her arm across my side. I smile at her half-awake affection, but I hear the noises outside the door once again and I pause.

"Did you hear that?" I ask Katniss. She stays quiet for a moment before shaking her head.

I sit still for a moment longer as well, but the noise was gone. Shaking the random ideas from my head, I lie back down on the pillow. "Do you think it's Willow and Brie?" I ask her. Katniss throws me an _I don't think so _look. Brie _hated _mornings, and by the time he's going to start school, well... let's not think about that.

Katniss snuggled closer. "It's probably just the cat or something," she reassures me. I nod absently while tracing a curled scar 'round her shoulder. Katniss closes her eyes again as if she's drifting off to sleep.

"Hey, Peeta?"

"Hm?"

"I heard that noise you were talking about earlier."

I sit up in bed, the sheets falling to a folded mess on my lap. "Should we go see what it is?" I ask, worried for the kids' safety.

Katniss doesn't even open her eyes. "Nah, let it come to us. We can take it."

I smile down at her and lie back on the bed. "True."

Katniss shifts closer to me and stretches out her arm. "You know who we haven't heard from in a while?" she asks, finally opening her dark silver eyes. I gaze into them as I trace patterns across her arm, another awash of love crashing over me. "Who?"

"Haymitch."

I narrow my eyes. "Remember the time with the geese?" **(A/N: See my story: "Geese")**

Katniss chuckles. "You live and you learn."

But then we hear a crash louder than the others. Katniss's sleepy smiles are gone as she bolts upright, her hair swinging gracefully past her waist. "What was that?"

Already I'm standing, attaching my prosthetic leg and stumbling across the floor to the door. Katniss moves past me, and together we hurry down the stairs. Katniss on feather-light feet and me with the sound resembling an elephant's.

Turning the corner, she stops in her tracks. Following behind her, I lean over her slender shoulder and see what I never thought to see.

Haymitch, Willow, and Brie were chatting at the kitchen table; Willow smiling broadly and Brie looking fully-awake. And Haymitch strangely... sober.

"Ah," he slurs (okay, maybe not so sober,) "Here're the lovebirds now. Lemme tell you, they shared a bed _way _before they *hiccup* were married, and we could hear-"

"HAYMITCH!" Katniss's eyes blazed the same color as her face from embarrassment. "_What _are you doing in our house and _why _are you telling our children-"

"_Hush, _sweetheart, just *hiccup* tellin' the truth,"

Katniss glared at him and I could imagine she was itching for a bow and arrows to shoot him with.

I didn't dare try and calm her down, as just being the subject of her fiery gaze seemed to be too terrifying. But there Haymitch was, smiling stupidly and watching as Willow and Brie giggled.

"Alright, alright, I'm goin' sweetie. You work on that temper," Haymitch said as he heavily heaved himself from the kitchen table and stumbled out the door. Katniss stared after him, her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. As soon as the door clicked behind him she went over to lock it. When that was done she stomped up the stairs, leaving me alone with our children. Expectantly Willow looked up at me.

"Was that true, Daddy?" she asked. I felt my face get hot. "Um... yeah," I said awkwardly. Willow grinned. I left the kitchen.

~~O0o.|.o0O~~

"K-Katniss?" I whispered as I entered the bedroom. She was furiously writing something down on a sheet of paper when I came in. She didn't answer me when I came in, so I walked over to stand behind her shoulder. Her messy scrawl was too hard to read.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Getting a restraining order against Haymitch."

I smiled and pulled her away from the mahogany desk to sit in my lap on the edge of the bed. I buried my nose in her shoulder. "And why would you want to do that?" I ask innocently. Katniss continues glaring at the wall. "He's filthy, annoying, obnoxious, and he isn't a good example for Willow. Or Brie."

I smoothed her tangled mess of locks before answering. "Since when does having a role model matter? And he _has _saved our butts a million times over the years."

Katniss shrugs but stays silent.

"And anyway, he's like family. Would you want to shun your family?"

She turns to look at me, a sarcastic expression on her face as she silently refers to Gale and her mother. "Oh, right. Sorry."

There was a knock on the door. Katniss slips from my lap and goes to answer it, revealing Willow and Brie smiling broadly. Immediately, Willow pulls Brie past Katniss and plops him on the bed across from me. Brie snuggles under the covers and Katniss closes the door before coming back over to join us. She pulls the covers up to her shoulders and pulls Brie over, snuggling against his curly blonde head. He giggles and turns over.

Our daughter, on the other hand, took Katniss's spot on my lap and was smiling at Katniss. "Uncle Haymitch is funny," she commented. Katniss looks at her as if saying, _Really? You're _trying_ to infuriate me? _

Brie smiles a jack-o-lantern grin (he had just lost his front teeth) and nods, his curls bouncing. "He so funny he makes Mommy mad!"

Katniss rolls her eyes like the fiery teenager she once was. "Oh yes, because breaking into our house and filling your heads with madness is funny."

"He didn't break in, we let him in!"

"Well no more letting him inside, then."

"Okay."

And with that, the rest of our Saturday morning was spent sleeping in; the four of us.

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**Hooray for always finishing chapters late at night! :D Though, I'm not so proud of this one. Tips are always welcome, even if you're just trying to spam me. Like, you could say, "I like your story so far, Eliptical" (in fact just copy+paste that below. Don't even bother to log in X3)**

***hint hint* REVIEW**


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